The death of her father and mother in the same year left her to her own
discretion, under the dangerous circumstances attendant on youth
and beauty. She was fond of company, delighted with admiration, yet
disdainful of the opinion of the world, when it happened to contradict
her inclinations; had a gay and brilliant wit, and was mistress of
all the arts of fascination. Her conduct was such as might have been
expected, from the weakness of her principles and the strength of her
passions.
Among her numerous admirers was the late Marquis de Villeroi, who, on
his tour through Italy, saw Laurentini at Venice, where she usually
resided, and became her passionate adorer. Equally captivated by the
figure and accomplishments of the Marquis, who was at that period one of
the most distinguished noblemen of the French court, she had the art so
effectually to conceal from him the dangerous traits of her character
and the blemishes of her late conduct, that he solicited her hand in
marriage.
Before the nuptials were concluded, she retired to the castle of
Udolpho, whither the Marquis followed, and, where her conduct, relaxing
from the propriety, which she had lately assumed, discovered to him
the precipice, on which he stood. A minuter enquiry than he had before
thought it necessary to make, convinced him, that he had been deceived
in her character, and she, whom he had designed for his wife, afterwards
became his mistress.
Having passed some weeks at Udolpho, he was called abruptly to France,
whither he returned with extreme reluctance, for his heart was still
fascinated by the arts of Laurentini, with whom, however, he had on
various pretences delayed his marriage; but, to reconcile her to this
separation, he now gave repeated promises of returning to conclude
the nuptials, as soon as the affair, which thus suddenly called him to
France, should permit.
Soothed, in some degree, by these assurances, she suffered him to
depart; and, soon after, her relative, Montoni, arriving at Udolpho,
renewed the addresses, which she had before refused, and which she now
again rejected. Meanwhile, her thoughts were constantly with the Marquis
de Villeroi, for whom she suffered all the delirium of Italian love,
cherished by the solitude, to which she confined herself; for she
had now lost all taste for the pleasures of society and the gaiety of
amusement.
Her only indulgences were to sigh and weep over a miniature
of the Marquis; to visit the scenes, that had witnessed their happiness,
to pour forth her heart to him in writing, and to count the weeks, the
days, which must intervene before the period that he had mentioned as
probable for his return. But this period passed without bringing
him; and week after week followed in heavy and almost intolerable
expectation. During this interval, Laurentini's fancy, occupied
incessantly by one idea, became disordered; and, her whole heart being
devoted to one object, life became hateful to her, when she believed
that object lost.